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(No Model.) 1

H, NICHOLS. GAR GOUPLING.

No. 427,007. Patented Apr. 20, 1800.

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y Y Y A Afro/mfr i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.'

HENRY NICHOLS, OF MOUNT MERIDIAN, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE- FOURTHS 'IO JOSEPH W. v`RUARK, EMERSON E. RUARK, AND ANDREW J.

BIRD, ALL OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 427,007, dated April 29, 1890. Application filed March 10, 1890. Serial Nm3-43,223. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY NICHOLS, of Mount Meridian,county of Putnam, and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters and figures refer to like parts.

My invention relates to the construction of car-couplings, and will be understood from the following description.

In the drawings, Figure lis an end view of a car with my improved device in place. Fig. 2 is a top View of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line x Fig. 2. Fig. i is a detail View, enlarged, of the spring-bar. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the guiding-spring, also enlarged.

In detail, c is the car-body, which may be either box, fiat, or any other kind of car. dis the draw-head connected thereto, in the mouth of which is inserted a guide-spring s, of the shape shown in Fig. 5,v for the purpose of guiding and supporting the link as it enters the draw-head opening. l

h are handles centrally pivoted at 1 to the coupling-pin p, which passes through the link Z, these handles or levers being also pivoted at 2 2 to the spring-bars b, fastened to the cross-bar of the frame-work of the car-body, preferably beneath and in the manner shown, though the method of fastening may be varied according to the needs of construction. The handles h, of which there are preferably two, extend on either side far enough to be grasped by the brakeman, so that the coupling-pin may be operated from either side without passing between the cars, thus avoiding any danger of injury to the operator.

The dotted lines in Fig. 1 indicate the movement of the parts in coupling and uncompling the cars. Thus, to illustrate the working of my device, 4the brakeman takes hold of one of the handles h on either side, and by throwing it up the pin p is forced down, also carry` ing with it the inner end of the opposite handle, and the two handles, after passing the natural tension brings them back to their l original position. Thus as the handles h are drawn up, forcing the pin p down, the springbars are first thrown out on either side, and are then drawn by their tension into normal position again, and this tension aids in holding the pin down in place through the link. When the handles hare forced downward, lifting the pin, the tension of these spring-bars assists in throwing the pin up out of engagement with the link, holding it firmly in a raised position, as shown in Fig. 1. The pin, therefore, cannot drop by its own weight, or even by a slight pressure, as the tension of the springbars will resist any such movement; nor when the cars are coupled can this pin be raised or dislodged by any slight jar or movement, as the pressure on the spring-bars Will operate to hold it down in engagement with the link. These spring-bars, therefore, become an important factor in aiding the movement in either direction for coupling or uncoupling and for holding the parts in position.

W'hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letter Patent, is the following:

1. A car coupler comprising handles h and spring-bars b, to which such handles are pivoted, connected to the frame-work of the car, the inner ends of the handles pivoted to the coupling-pin, in combination with a car c, having a draw-head d, substantially as shown and described.

2. A car-coupler comprising one or more handles h, pivoted midway to a spring-bar b, the latter fastened to the car-frame, the inner end of such handle pivoted to the couplingpin, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a car-coupling, one or more handles h,

spring-bars b, fastened to the car-frame and spring-bars bolted to the ear-frame and pivcentmlly pivoted to such handles, the pin p, oted midway of the handles 7L, all combined pivoted to the inner end of such handle or substantially as shown and described.

handles, the draw-head d, provided with n In Witness whereof I have hereunto setiny 15 5 guiding-spring S, and the ear c, all combined hand this 26th day of February, 1890.

substantially as shown and described, ms

4. In a ear-coupling, the em' c, having :L HENRY X NICHOLS. draw-head d, a guidespring s, seated Jherein, nml-k the link Z, and a locking device comprising Vvlitnesses: 1o one 0r more handles 7L, Jtheir inner ends piv- J. XV. RUARK,

oted to the coupling-pin 1J,-zmd one or more E. B. GRIFFITH. 

